Patrick Chan pulls out of Grand Prix event to focus on training

Canada's Patrick Chan skates off the ice following his free program in the men's competition at Skate Canada International in Regina on October 28, 2017. With the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics a few weeks away, Patrick Chan is withdrawing from the NHK Trophy figure skating competition to focus on training.The 26-year-old has decided to shift his focus to January's national championships, which will also be the trials for the Winter Games. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

OTTAWA — With the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics a few weeks away, Patrick Chan is withdrawing from the NHK Trophy figure skating competition to focus on training.

The 26-year-old has decided to shift his focus to January’s national championships, which will also be the trials for the Winter Games.

The Toronto skater — a three-time world champion — is coming off a disastrous performance at Skate Canada last week.

In his long program, Chan fell on his opening quad jump, and his program unravelled from there. He downgraded four jumps, and touched a hand down on two, en route to finishing with 245.70 points.

“It’s important to realize that I’ve never had a skate like that in a big event,” Chan said following the event. “I think it’s part of the process and having ownership of your career, and being successful you’ve got to have days like this.

“Yeah it sucks, but I’ve had the great highs too.”

The Nov. 10-12 NHK Trophy is the fourth stop on the Grand Prix circuit.